Apparatus, system and method for providing an internally supported wall system

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a light weight wall system including a wall supporting apparatus to install multiple panels simultaneously while resisting lateral and vertical forces applied to the wall system during installation. According to one aspect of the present invention, the wall system of the present invention includes an upper wall segment and a lower wall segment. According to further aspects of the present invention, the upper wall segment preferably includes a bottom panel including a central convex projection which extends through the length of the upper wall segment. According to a further aspect of the present invention, the lower wall segment preferably includes a top panel which includes a central convex projection which extends through the length of the lower wall segment. According to a further aspect of the present invention, the present invention preferably further includes an internal supporting insert which includes an upper supporting insert configured to insert within the upper wall segment and a lower supporting insert configured to insert within the lower wall segment.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 62/749,886, filed Oct. 24, 2018, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention is related in general to wall sections and, inparticular, to a wall system including an internal wall supportingapparatus.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are a variety of modular and segmented wall types which areincreasingly popular in construction. These may include lightweightpanels which are easily moved and stacked to allow for barriers forenclosing areas and for providing sound, aesthetic and securityenhancements. These panels currently can only be installed as a singlesegment. This increases the installation time of the wall. What isneeded is a system and method to assist in the installation a lightweight wall system which includes a wall supporting apparatus to reducethe installation time of the wall and decrease the cost of installation.

To overcome the limitations of the prior art, the present inventionprovides a system and apparatus for creating and supporting a lightweight wall system including a wall supporting apparatus to resistlateral and vertical forces applied to the wall system duringinstallation of multiple panels.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present invention provides a light weight wall system including awall supporting apparatus to resist lateral and vertical forces appliedto the wall system during installation. According to one aspect of thepresent invention, the wall system of the present invention includes anupper wall segment and a lower wall segment. According to furtheraspects of the present invention, the upper wall segment preferablyincludes a bottom panel including an upward extending central concaveprojection which extends through the length of the upper wall segment.According to a further aspect of the present invention, the lower wallsegment preferably further includes a top panel which includes a centralconvex projection which extends through the length of the lower wallsegment.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, the presentinvention preferably further includes an internal supporting insertwhich includes an upper supporting insert configured to inserted withinthe upper wall segment and a lower supporting insert configured toinserted within the lower wall segment.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, the internalsupporting insert preferably further includes back support extensionswhich are configured and positioned to stiffen the internal supportinginsert and to prevent the internal supporting insert from rotating onits central axis.

Other goals and advantages of the present invention will be furtherappreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with thefollowing description and accompanying drawings. While the followingdescription may contain specific details describing particularembodiments of the invention, this should not be construed aslimitations to the scope of the invention but rather as anexemplification of preferable embodiments. For each aspect of theinvention, many variations are possible as suggested herein that areknown to those of ordinary skill in the art. A variety of changes andmodifications can be made within the scope of the invention withoutdeparting from the spirit thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Elements in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale inorder to enhance their clarity and to improve the understanding of thevarious elements and embodiments of the invention. Furthermore, elementsthat are known to be common and well understood to those in the industryare not depicted in order to provide a clear view of the variousembodiments of the invention. Thus, it should be understood that thedrawings are generalized in form in the interest of clarity andconciseness.

FIG. 1 shows a cutaway view of a wall system in accordance with a firstpreferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a cutaway view of a wall system in accordance with a firstpreferred embodiment of the present invention including an internalsupporting insert.

FIG. 3 shows a front view of an internal supporting insert in accordancewith a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows a side view of an internal supporting insert in accordancewith a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows a back view of an internal supporting insert in accordancewith a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6A shows a top view of an internal supporting insert in accordancewith a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6B shows a bottom view of an internal supporting insert inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view an interconnected wall system inaccordance with a further preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various inventive features are described below that can each be usedindependently of one another or in combination with other features.However, any single inventive feature may not address any of theproblems discussed above or only address one of the problems discussedabove. Further, one or more of the problems discussed above may not befully addressed by any of the features described below. In the followingdiscussion that addresses a number of embodiments and applications ofthe present invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawingsthat form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustrationspecific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is tobe understood that other embodiments may be utilized and changes may bemade without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Additionally, any examples or illustrations given herein are not to beregarded in any way as restrictions on, limits to, or expressdefinitions of, any term or terms with which they are utilized. Instead,these examples or illustrations are to be regarded as illustrative only.Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that any term orterms with which these examples or illustrations are utilized willencompass other embodiments which may or may not be given therewith orelsewhere in the specification and all such embodiments are intended tobe included within the scope of that term or terms.

Reference is now made in detail to the exemplary embodiments of theinvention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be usedthroughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. As usedthroughout this application, the word “may” is used in a permissivesense (i.e., meaning “having the potential to’), rather than themandatory sense (i.e. meaning “must”).

FIG. 1 shows a cutaway view of a wall system 100 in accordance with afirst preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the wallsystem 100 of the present invention may preferably include an upper wallsegment 102 and a lower wall segment 104. As shown, the wall segments102, 104 may preferably be hollow. Alternatively, the wall segments 102,104 may be filled with any of a variety of materials. As shown, theupper wall segment 102 may preferably include a left panel 106, a rightpanel 108 and a bottom panel 110. As shown, a bottom panel 110 of theupper wall segment 102 preferably includes level left wall portion 112,an upward extending central concave projection 114, and a level rightwall portion 116. Preferably, the central concave projection 114 of thebottom panel 110 extends through the length of the upper wall segment102.

As further shown in FIG. 1, the lower wall segment 104 preferablyfurther includes a left wall panel 126, a right wall panel 128 and anupper wall panel 118. As shown, the upper wall panel 118 of the lowerwall segment 104 preferably includes level left wall portion 120, anupward projecting central convex projection 124, and a level right wallportion 122. Preferably, the central convex projection 124 of the upperwall panel 118 extends through the length of the lower wall segment 104.

FIG. 2 shows a further cutaway view of a wall system in accordance witha first preferred embodiment of the present invention including aninternal supporting insert 130. As shown, the internal supporting insert130 preferably is inserted within the upper wall segment 102 and thelower wall segment 104. As shown, the internal supporting insert 130preferably includes a left connecting flange 132, a right connectingflange 134 and a group of supporting internal vertical ribs 136 whichvertically extend through the body of the internal supporting insert130. As further shown, the internal supporting insert 130 preferablyfurther includes an upper supporting insert 140 which is inserted withinthe upper wall segment 102. Further, the internal supporting insert 130preferably further includes a lower supporting insert 142 (shown in FIG.3) which preferably inserts into the lower wall segment 104. As stillfurther shown, the internal supporting insert 130 preferably furtherincludes one or more central supporting extensions 138 as discussed inmore detail below.

According to further aspects of the present invention, the leftconnecting flange 132 and the right connecting flange 134 may preferablybe configured to further interlock with connecting flanges from otherinternal supporting inserts (not shown) so to connect the two supportinginserts together. In this way, the present invention may laterallyconnect multiple wall segments/system in series.

FIG. 3 shows a front view of an internal supporting insert 130 inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Asshown, the internal supporting insert 130 preferably includes an uppersupporting insert 140 for inserting within the upper wall segment 102and a lower supporting insert 142 for inserting within the lower wallsegment 104. As shown, the upper supporting insert 140 preferablyincludes a lower surface 144 which preferably includes a left lowersurface 146, a raised center surface 150 and a right lower surface 148.As further shown, lower supporting insert 142 preferably includes a topsurface 152 which preferably includes a left lower surface 154, a raisedcenter surface 156 and a right lower surface 158.

As shown in FIG. 3, the spacing and dimensions between the lower surface144 and the top surface 152 are preferably uniform and of a consistentwidth to receive the combined widths of the bottom panel 110 of theupper wall segment 102 and the upper wall panel 118 of the lower wallsegment 104. In particular, the spacings and dimensions between thelower surface 144 and the top surface 152 are preferably formed with awidth and a shape for receiving the combined thickness and shape of theconcave projection 114 of the upper wall segment 102 and the convexprojection 124 of the lower wall segment 104. As further shown, inaccordance with a further preferred embodiment of the present invention,the distance between the lower surface 144 and the top surface 152 maypreferably be in the range of 0.3 to 0.8 inches. According to a furtherpreferred embodiment, the distance between the lower surface 144 and thetop surface 152 may preferably be in range of 0.4 to 0.6 inches.

FIG. 4 further provides a side view of the internal supporting insert130. As shown, the internal supporting insert 130 preferably includes anupper supporting insert 140 for inserting within the upper wall segment102 and a lower supporting insert 142 for inserting within the lowerwall segment 104. As shown, the internal supporting insert 130 maypreferably have a total width in the range of 2 to 5 inches and a totallength in the range of 4 to 7 inches. According to a further preferredembodiment, the internal supporting insert 130 may preferably have atotal width in the range of 2 to 3 inches and a total length in therange of 5 to 6 inches. According to a further preferred embodiment, theinternal supporting insert 130 may preferably have a total width in therange of 2.4 to 2.8 inches and a total length of 5.4 to 5.8 inches.

With reference now to FIG. 5, a back view of an internal supportinginsert 130 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention shall now be discussed. As shown in FIG. 5, the internalsupporting insert 130 may preferably include a left connecting flange132, a right connecting flange 134, and vertical ribs 136 extendingthrough the body of the internal supporting insert 130. A further shown,the internal supporting insert 130 preferably further includes a centralsupporting rib 160 which extends horizontally across the body of theinternal supporting insert 130. As further shown, the central supportingrib 160 preferably further includes one or more back support extensions138.

FIG. 6A further shows a top view and FIG. 6B further shows a bottom viewof an internal supporting insert 130 in accordance with a preferredembodiment of the present invention. As shown, the internal supportinginsert 130 preferably includes an upper supporting insert 140, a lowersupporting insert 142, a right connecting flange 134 and a leftconnecting flange 132. As further shown, the internal supporting insert130 preferably further includes back support extensions 138. Accordingto preferred embodiments of the present invention, the back-supportextensions 138 may preferably act to stiffen the internal supportinginsert 130 and prevent the internal supporting insert 130 from rotatingon its central axis or otherwise acting like a hinge.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of an inter-connected wall system 170 inaccordance with a further preferred embodiment of the present invention.As shown in FIG. 7, internal support inserts 180, 182, 184 are providedbetween respective lateral segments 172, 174, 176 178. As discussed withrespect to FIGS. 2-6, the internal support inserts 180, 182, 184 connecteach pair of lateral wall segments 172, 174, 176, 178 to resist lateraland vertical forces applied to the wall system.

While this invention has been described and illustrated with referenceto particular embodiments, it will be readily apparent to those skilledin the art that the scope of the invention is not limited to thedisclosed embodiments but, on the contrary, is intended to covernumerous other modifications and equivalent arrangements which areincluded within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

The above descriptions of illustrated embodiments of the presentinvention are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the presentinvention to the precise forms disclosed. It should be understood thatvarious equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of thedescribed embodiments as those skilled in the relevant art willrecognize. Further, the elements of the various embodiments describedabove can be combined to provide further embodiments without limitation.These and other changes can be made to the disclosed system andapparatus in light of the above detailed description.

In the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limitthe specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims,but instead the scope of the present invention is intended to bedetermined entirely by the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wall system including an internal wallsupporting apparatus, the wall system comprising: an upper wall segment,wherein the upper wall segment comprises a left panel, a right panel anda bottom panel; further wherein the bottom panel further comprises aleft wall portion, an upward extending central concave projection, and aright wall portion; further wherein the central concave projectionextends through the length of the upper wall segment; a lower wallsegment, wherein the lower wall segment comprises a left panel, a rightpanel and a top panel; further wherein the top panel further comprises aleft wall portion, an upward extending central convex projection, and aright wall portion; further wherein the central convex projectionextends through the length of the lower wall segment; and an internalsupporting insert, wherein the internal support insert further comprisesa left connecting flange, a right connecting flange, and a plurality ofsupporting internal vertical ribs which vertically extend through thebody of the internal supporting insert; wherein the internal supportinginsert further comprises an upper supporting insert configured to insertwithin the upper wall segment and a lower supporting insert configuredto insert within the lower wall segment; wherein the lower supportinginsert comprises left surface, a right surface, a first lower surface,and a second upper surface; wherein the second upper surface comprises aleft lower surface, a convex center surface, and a right lower surface;wherein the upper supporting insert comprises a left surface, a rightsurface, a third top surface, and a fourth lower surface; wherein thefourth lower surface comprises a left lower surface, a concave centersurface, and a right lower surface; wherein the internal supportinginsert further comprises a plurality of back support extensions; whereinthe plurality of back support extensions are configured to stiffen theinternal supporting insert and prevent the internal supporting insertfrom rotating on its central axis.
 2. The wall system of claim 1,wherein the distance between the second upper surface and the fourthlower surface are uniform.
 3. The wall system of claim 2, wherein thedistance between the second upper surface and the fourth lower surfaceis greater than the combined thickness of the upward extending centralconcave projection of the upper wall segment and the upward extendingcentral convex projection of the lower wall segment.
 4. The wall systemof claim 3, wherein the distance between the second upper surface andthe fourth lower surface is within the range of 0.3 to 0.8 inches. 5.The wall system of claim 3, wherein the distance between the secondupper surface and the fourth lower surface is within the range of 0.4 to0.6 inches.
 6. The wall system of claim 4, wherein the internalsupporting insert has a thickness in the range of 2 to 5 inches.
 7. Thewall system of claim 6, wherein the internal supporting insert has atotal length in the range of 4 to 7 inches.
 8. The wall system of claim7, wherein the internal supporting insert has a total width in the rangeof 2 to 3 inches.
 9. The wall system of claim 6, wherein the internalsupporting insert has a total length in the range of 5 to 6 inches. 10.The wall system of claim 9, wherein the internal supporting insert has atotal width in the range of 2.4 to 2.8 inches.
 11. The wall system ofclaim 6, wherein the internal supporting insert has a total length inthe range of 5.4 to 5.8 inches.